ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) has published the findings from its second Love Recycling study. This second phase - following the first one at the start of 2020 - sought to find out how commercial waste and recycling practices were disrupted by pandemic conditions.

Among the key findings:

• 56 per cent of respondents said recycling practices had been impacted by the pandemic

• 30 per cent of businesses say that recycling has gained importance because of the pandemic

• Almost three-quarters of businesses indicate their current recycling efforts are not always successful

• 86 per cent of businesses say they will give recycling greater focus in the coming years

• The number implementing dedicated PPE disposal may be as low as 20 per cent.Paul Jakeway, head of marketing at Rubbermaid Commercial Products EMEA said: "Commercial recycling is a long-term project that changes and develops over time. When disruptive events like the pandemic occur, they have the potential to derail progress, or create setbacks.

"The Love Recycling Research Project has seen us work with over 1,000 European business of all sizes. When we conducted our initial study, it was to see what the general state of commercial recycling was within Europe. From that basis, this second, more specific study, gave us a chance to see what had changed during and after lockdown.

"The businesses we spoke to are, on the whole, still in a phase of adapting to changes that the pandemic has brought, but with 86 per cent of businesses intending to increase focus in the coming years, we are optimistic that commercial recycling will continue to develop, despite the disruptions."

Click here to download The Changing Face of Commercial Recycling in Europe (part 2).